Poland a new family – holiday destination? Part 2-Wroclaw

Poland a new family – holiday destination?

Poland is a great holiday destination because it has it all: history, nature, delicious food, friendly people, a lot to see and do. Poland means unlimited places for relaxation in the mountains, at the sea, at the lakes or national parks. And it is only 800 km away by car from the Netherlands.

But is Poland really a child-friendly destination? Can it become a new family – holiday destination? This is what I tried to test this summer holiday with my family and the answer is undoubtedly:

Now it is time to visit Wroclaw. Wroclaw is situated on the river Oder (Polish: Odra). It is the largest city in western Poland and the 4th largest in Poland with around 632,000 inhabitants ( 2013 ) . Wrocław is also the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. The city has been selected as a European Capital of Culture 2016, World Book Capital 2016 and host of European Film Awards 2016.

There are a lot of interesting places to visit with your kids and I would mention only a few. It is also important to say that you can visit most of the places simply on foot or by bike.

The biggest hit for kids are Wroclaw dwarfs (in Polish: krasnale, krasnoludki). There are almost 250 of them scattered all around the city. You can combine sightseeing and tracking the dwarfs easily and special maps may make it easier for you: http://krasnale.pl/en/

Wrocław’s dwarfs appeared in Wroclaw for the first time in 2001. They were introduced in order to commemorate the Orange Alternative (in Polish: Pomarańczowa Alternatywa ) an underground protest movement which started in Wroclaw. The purpose of the movement was to oppose against the authoritarian communist regime peacefully using absurd forms of expression.

A large number of various museums, including the famous Raclawice Panorama ( in Polish: Panorama Raclawicka ) : The 140m-long canvas depicting the legendary General Tadeusz Kosciuszko’s victory over the Russian forces at Racławice in 1794. The tour takes only 30 minutes and it was really an impressing history and art lesson for my 6 and 8 year old daughters. http://www.panoramaraclawicka.pl/?lang=en

Tumski Bridge (Polish: Most Tumski): an unforgettable sight with uncountable love locks hanging on the bridge. I would like to stress the word : uncountable. Why: Tip: do not allow your kids to count the locks unless you plan to stay in Wroclaw all your summer holiday…

The Market Square, Wrocław (Polish: Rynek we Wrocławiu) is a medieval market square. It is one of the largest markets in Europe, with the largest two town halls in Poland. Since it is a pedestrian zone with fountains and hidden dwarfs and the atmosphere there is extremely relaxed and friendly it was one of the favourite places in Wroclaw for my kids.

Where to stay?

There are hundreds of hotels in Wroclaw and I would advise to read first information on special tourist sites.

It is a modern, child-friendly place with a swimming-pool and a very friendly and professional staff. When we entered the hotel to check – in our kids were immediately entertained by a member of the staff who took them to the child corner and started drawing with them. They loved that!

The staff at the reception desk looked up and printed out important information about staying in Wroclaw with kids including the map with dwarfs and provided us with all the helpful tips.

The hotel has en-suite rooms and they have baby cribs with appropriate baby bed sheets. Qubus has its own parking lot next to the hotel and your car is taken to the parking lot by the member of the staff for free.

Breakfast at Qubus is really good. It is a buffet and even the most demanding little clients will find something tasty. There is also a child-corner with toys in the restaurant.

Where to eat?

There are restaurants and bars at almost every street and corner of the city. Most of them offer menu for kids at a really reasonable price. Some places offer child-menu for free per every adult menu, and the adult menus are really reasonable priced, too.

They have the kids corner with the toys and the toys are also brought to the table if you want the kids to stay with you at the table. The restaurant is spacious so you can move there easily with the push-chairs. Additionally they have kids menus and in the weekend there is a nanny who takes care of the kids while the parents can enjoy the meal.